Cannellini with Prawns, Mussels and Fish

I love the idea of combining pulses and beans to go with seafood and fish. I don’t know why, but they make a fabulous combination and the following dish demonstrates how well these elements complement each other.
Admittedly this dish can be a bit fussy and tricky to get right. The fish and seafood need to be cooked precisely, and they all need to "finish" together. And it is important to use real homemade stock in the recipe. Stock cubes, I am afraid, will result in a sauce too salty and lacking in body. Make your own, it is worth the effort.
I have used Flathead and King Dory, but obviously you can use any firm fleshed fish. This dish is a perfect size for 2 people. More than that and I would probably have a nervous breakdown- there is too much concentration and precision involved to get this stew perfect.
Devour this fishy stew with lots of crunchy bread.

Ingredients
125g King Dory fillets
125g Flathead fillets
2 large king prawns
6 live mussels
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Red chilli to taste
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, plus extra to garnish
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander, plus extra to garnish
100ml white wine
700ml real homemade chicken stock
400g can Italian cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
Fresh black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Method
Trim the fish fillets into chunks about 6 cm long.
Remove the shells from the king prawns. Reserve the shells. I don’t bother removing the intestinal tract- I detest fiddly jobs and my name is not Cinderella...Let the eaters do it themselves at the table. A bit of DIY wont do any harm.
Remove the beards from the mussels.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and gently sauté the prawn shells until they are pink. Add the stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and discard the shells.
Over a gentle heat, use the remaining tbsp of olive oil and sauté the garlic, chilli and herbs for a minute or so. Throw in the stock and wine and reduce for about 15 minutes.
Now you can begin to cook the seafood. Add the king prawns to the reduced stock, cover the pan and braise for 2 minutes or until pink. Using a slotted spoon remove to a bowl and keep warm.
Add the mussels and cook the same way, until they have opened. Remove the mussels to the bowl with prawns and keep warm.
Finish with the fish, just as described above. The fish should take 1-2 minutes. Place the fish, once cooked to the bowl containing the other seafoods.
To the remaining juices in the pan, add the cannellini beans, turn the heat to high and cook until the liquid has reduced to a soupy/stew consistency.
Season with black pepper.
Serve the seafood on a large platter with the beans, cooking juices, herbs and a drizzle of olive oil. Serves 2.

Grilled Seafood Skewers

This one is easy (like me) and takes minutes to cook. So it is good for hot days when you do not wish to be slaving over a stove. Make sure you use a firm fish. Delicate fish will cook too quickly, dry out and fall off the skewer
I like to serve this with a rocket salad and lemon wedges.

Ingredients
200g scallops
200g firm fish fillet (boneless)
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fresh black pepper

Method
Cut the fish fillets into as many pieces as you have scallops. Make sure they are of an even size, so everything cooks evenly.
Put the scallops and fish into a bowl and combine with all the other ingredients. You won’t need salt, because the anchovy will provide this. Cover, refrigerate and allow to marinate for as long as you like.
When you are ready to cook, make sure your grill is beyond hot.
Thread your scallop and fish cubes onto metal skewers (forget about bamboo skewers, they look ugly, are too small and can burn).
Grill on each side for about 3 minutes or until just cooked.
Makes 4 skewers or enough for 2 people.

Clam, Prawn & Scallop Risotto

I have written about Risotto in the past. This one is made in the style of Venice, where they like the risotto “all’onda”. This translates literally as “wavy”. I love the descriptions Italians give their food. I was never taught to make risotto by anyone, instead I learnt from the instructions of Marlena De Blasi in her book “ Regional foods of Northern Italy”. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Italian food, indeed any food. This risotto is delicate. Its success lies in the ingredients. Use Vialone Nano rice. Arborio will be too starchy for this “wet” risotto. Make a delicate fish stock. Failing fish stock, use a neutral vegetable stock. And needless to say, buy the freshest seafood (really). Originally, I had planned to use squid. However I did not like what I saw in the market place, so I chose clams instead.

Ingredients
1 brown onion, finely chopped
15g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
100ml white wine
200g vialone nano rice
fish stock, kept hot
70g deveined prawns
70g scallops
150g clams (when I asked for this amount, the lady serving me gave me a dirty look and said ‘That’s too little!” So I explained that I was combining it with other seafoods for the risotto. I hope you do not encounter bitchy fish mongers)
Lots of coarsely chopped fresh parsley
I garlic clove, finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Method
Cook the onion gently for about 10 minutes. Do not brown it. You want it softened only.
Add the rice, turn the heat up a bit and toss it about for a few minutes.
Splash in the wine, over the heat until absorbed.
Now begin to add the hot stock progressively whist stirring, until no more can be absorbed. The rice should be al dente and there should be enough fluid to make the dish velvety and moist.
While the rice is cooking, add about 1 cm of stock to a small saucepan.
Bring it to the boil and add the seafood. Put a lid on and cook until the prawns turn pink, and the clams have opened. This wont take very long at all
Add to the rice, with any of the juices in the pan.
Finish with the garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and olive oil. Serves 2.
Note- fish stock is the easiest of stocks to make. In a large stockpot with water, cook fish bones, an onion, a celery stalk and a fresh bayleaf. I never boil or simmer stock. Just under simmering point is the right temperature. This way the stock will remain clear and clean tasting. Fish bones should cook for 20 minutes only (they are bitter) Strain through a clean chux wipe and use or freeze.